


A Little Fall of Rain

by TheTeaIsAddictive



Series: The Beauty of a Beast [6]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Mild Blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-08 00:59:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6832423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTeaIsAddictive/pseuds/TheTeaIsAddictive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The moment between her shout and the Beast's next action seemed to last forever. He turned his head to look down at her, and Belle thought for a short moment that she could see the blue of his eyes and his face as clearly as if she was sitting next to him. She saw his lips speak her name slowly, hesitantly, as if he couldn't believe she'd come back. </p>
<p>Gaston lifted his knife high.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Fall of Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue from the second half of the fic is property of Disney, and I have shamelessly copy-pasted it instead of writing my own.

**A Little Fall of Rain**

The rain pounded down over Belle's head as she spurred Phillipe on as fast as he could go, her father and Chip safely in the wagon. She could hardly see, and the dampness was creeping in beneath her cloak and seeping into her dress. A wild wind from the north swooped in, her hair ribbon plucked seamlessly from her head and sent flying away into the distance. It didn't matter. All that mattered was getting to the Beast. 

Suddenly, light. The village men came running around the corner, only holding a few burning torches between them. They were battered, bruised and bleeding, and Belle could have sworn she saw one dressed up in some of the underwear from the depths of Madame Armoire. 

"Le Fou!" Belle cried out. The stout little man waddled up to her, looking like he'd been caught on the wrong end of a sword. "Is Gaston with you?"

"N-no, Belle," he stammered heavily, "he's up at the c-castle, trying to find the B-Beast." 

"Oh, no," she murmured so quietly that even Belle wasn't sure she'd said anything. "C'mon, Phillipe! Ya!" The bay working horse obediently sped up, and Maurice and Chip struggled to not fall out the little wagon. 

"It's crazy up there!" Le Fou shouted back. "Crazy! The teapots - and the - and the candlesticks and the _wardrobe_ \- it's _crazy_ Belle!" 

"They put up a good fight," she muttered between chattering teeth. She glanced back to the wagon, and saw her father, still in his bedclothes, a large dark green cloak wrapped tightly around him, holding the small chipped cup gently to his chest. The rain beat down harder than ever, and Belle urged Phillipe to ride still faster. As the tall turrets of the castle first appeared between the trees, she pulled her hood up and allowed herself a small sigh of relief. 

Lightening jagged across the air, perfectly illuminating her path for one shining moment - the chipping gild and shimmering stone made the castle shine - and Belle vaguely saw a large, animalistic figure crashing through an upper window. A roar of pain echoed across the wide gulf and resonated in her very bones, and a smaller figure leapt agilely out the hole. She couldn't see from here, but if she had to guess, Belle would say the small one was wearing a bright red shirt and had long black hair. She spurred on Phillipe, and they crashed haphazardly through the undergrowth approaching the bridge. 

On steady ground once more, Belle finally dared to do what she had feared all along, and looked up. She remembered well the injuries sustained by the wild wolves so many months ago, and, she had to admit, Belle was extremely frightened of what the Beast might do to a human. But what she saw surprised her. The Beast was . . . not fighting back. He wasn't enraged or scared for his life, he was . . . limp. As if he had nothing left to live for. 

Belle gasped as Gaston pushed him down to the battlements, a sickening jolt coming from where he hit the hard stone. Gaston stalked forward, confident, cocky, a knife held loosely in his hand. Belle knew that look, that walk. It was the same one he used whenever he thought or knew his prey was nearly dead. She'd seen it addressed to wild hogs, the occasional wolf, and herself. 

"No!" she cried. "Gaston, don't!" She couldn't see the Beast die. She just couldn't. The moment between her shout and the Beast's next action seemed to last forever. He turned his head to look down at her, and Belle thought for a short moment that she could see the blue of his eyes and his face as clearly as if she was sitting next to him. She saw his lips speak her name slowly, hesitantly, as if he couldn't believe she'd come back. 

Gaston lifted his knife high. 

Suddenly, a whirl of movement - the Beast was on his hind legs with his claws pushing Gaston away with all his strength, and either the Beast wasn't as strong as she'd thought or Gaston had ridiculous muscle strength, but it didn't matter because the knife had been thrown away, Belle managed to see before she jumped (well, fell) off Phillipe and raced inside the castle. 

Belle pulled her hood off and started off at a run towards the West Wing - she raced up the first grand staircase, then a second, and a third, only stopping at the top to gasp for breath and clutch her side. Desperately, Belle looked left and right trying to find the line of armour on display, before realising that almost every enchanted object in the place had left their post. Taking a wild guess, Belle swung left and then right, where thankfully the forbidden stairs lay. 

She ran up, and this time didn't bother stopping even though she was wheezing slightly and the stitch in her side was killing her, just hauled one of the doors open and tripped over a piece of cloth lying on the floor. Getting up, Belle again saw the ruined portrait. She briefly remembered the man from her dreams, before jumping and leaping around the various obstacles in the room. She banged into the rose, and swiftly righted it before she ran out to the balcony. 

"Beast!" she cried out again. The rain had gotten heavier since she went into the castle, and it took a second for her to wipe her eyes before she could looked for the Beast. Belle looked to the right, and there he was, clambering over the fancy turrets and slated roofs of the castle. And he was _so happy_. He was smiling - a proper smile, a - a _human_ smile, and his eyes were shining brightly. He reached the balcony in no time, and he immediately clasped her hands with one paw while stroking her hair with the other. 

"You came back," he murmured, as if he couldn't believe it. 

Suddenly, Gaston appeared out of nowhere from behind the Beast and stabbed him in his side. The Beast roared out in pain, and started to fall backwards, but Belle grabbed his clothes firmly, and oh no oh no he was going to fall off the castle and bring her with him, but then her adrenaline-gifted strength let her pull him over the side and he landed on his back on the cold stone of the balcony. She saw a small pool of blood begin to appear at his side, dark red diluted by the pouring rain. 

"You came back," the Beast said with an air of wonder. 

"Of course I came back," Belle said, tears choking her throat. "I couldn't let them . . . oh, this is all my fault! If only I'd gotten here sooner . . ."

"Maybe it's better this way," the Beast forced out. 

"Don't talk like that! You'll be alright," she said with a false air of confidence. "We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see!" At this point Belle didn't know if she was trying to reassure the Beast or herself. 

"At least I got to see you one . . . last . . . time." The Beast's voice was weak and fading faster. He reached up his paw to touch Belle's face. Belle held it there, her eyes shut, feeling the rough and smooth of his pads, the slight pressure on her temple from his claws, the warm fur on her palms where she was holding it. 

Slowly, the paw slid down her face, and the Beast's head lolled backwards to the ground. 

"No." Belle dropped the Beast's paw. "No - please - _PLEASE_!" A sob wracked through her body, and Belle's hands flew to her mouth, trying to stifle the sound. Hot tears mingled with the cool rain pouring down her face, and she collapsed onto the Beast's large chest. "Please don't leave me," Belle begged. She remembered Maurice cradling her mother, begging her to come back. She could hear the Beast's heart, fainter and slower than when they had danced. "I love you," she whispered through her tears. 

Behind her, the last petal fell.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ff.net 23/08/2013


End file.
